A number of Extinction Rebellion protesters, including two from St Albans and Harpenden, are set to face court this week, after a blockade of newspaper printing presses.

The campaign group said 51 of its protesters were due to appear at St Albans Magistrates’ Court today and tomorrow for plea hearings, after they were accused of obstruction of a highway.

Most are expected to deny the charge, relating to the blockade of the Newsprinters printing press in Broxbourne in Hertfordshire on September 4.

Activists used vehicles and bamboo lock-ons to block roads near the site, delaying the deliveries of papers to newsagents the following morning. A second blockade of the Newsprinters printing works in Knowsley took place on the same day.

Bethany Mogie, 38, of Kingsbury Avenue, St Albans will appear tomorrow and Craig Scudder, 54, of Cornwall Road, Harpenden appeared today and was remanded on bail until October 7. Mr Scudder did not enter into a plea.

The Newsprinters presses publish the Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp’s titles including the Sun, Times, Sun On Sunday and Sunday Times, as well as the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday, and the London Evening Standard.

It also publishes Archant titles including Hertfordshire newspapers the Comet, Welwyn Hatfield Times, Herts Advertiser and Royston Crow.